Bible Strands
John 20:7
The cloth that had been around Jesus’ head was rolled up, lying separate from the linen cloths.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the interior of the tomb immediately after Peter’s entry and before the other disciple’s full inspection. The scene records the exact arrangement of the burial wrappings left behind.
The words — σουδὶριον (soudarion) denotes the face cloth that covered Jesus’ head. The text specifies it was rolled up and placed distinctly apart from the linen cloths.
The thread — This detail runs parallel to John 11:44, where Lazarus emerged bound in linen strips and a face cloth. The arrangement contrasts a disturbed corpse with deliberately ordered burial garments.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to observe that the wrappings were not torn or stolen but carefully positioned. The separation of the face cloth presents physical evidence that demands a factual assessment of the tomb's condition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
Cross-references
- John 11:44 The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.